The Bendigo International Women’s Pro Tour, an Australian Pro Tour event, starts on October 21 and will see players from around the world and across the country compete.

Bendigo Tennis Centre general Manager Dean Skrobalak said the field looked to be considerably stronger than previous years.

“The entrant world ranking cut-off is around 320, and this year the competitors will be playing for a wildcard entry into the Australian Open,” Skrobalak said.

Skrobalak said it was beneficial for Bendigo to have the opportunity to hold internationally recognised events.

“Our new centre has been built for these types of events and all of the staff and I are very excited for the competition,” he said.

There is currently a 396 spectator capacity grandstand being built, which Skrobalak said would bring a “wow factor” to the Nolan Street complex.

“It’s going to be a big structure and people will certainly be amazed when they visit Bendigo,” he said.

“Part of my job now involves finding new ways to utilise the grandstand.

“There’s the possibility to hold an Australian Open live site, outdoor movie nights and to host concerts.

“And of course we hope it will attract more big tennis events to the centre.”

The goal is to have the grandstand construction finished by around Christmas, as there have been delays due to custom work that was undertaken to make the structure’s support beams.

“It’s going to be a great addition to our facility, there aren’t many tennis venues in Australia which have grandstands like this,” Skrobalak said.

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Skrobalak recently took on the role as general manager of the Bendigo Tennis Centre and has big plans for the venue’s future.

“My job is quite diverse, it includes everything from talking about toasties in our cafe through to attending construction meetings,” he laughed.

“Down the track I would like the venue to be a US style tennis academy, something we haven’t really seen in Australia before.

“I want to take this place to the next level and put Bendigo Tennis on the map.

“I want to see players from Bendigo in front of our new grandstand winning finals.”

Skrobalak brings decades of experience within the tennis industry, as well as history in business and hospitality.

A self-confessed tennis addict, he played 7 days per week while growing up in Bacchus Marsh and was also a board member at his local club.

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